Mets' next Yankees thievery felt obvious after shortstop injuries (until Tigers stepped in)

The Paul DeJong era in the Bronx is over. It never really began. When the New York Yankees needed to dip down into the minor leagues to call up a utility man, it was Max Schuemann and not the once-promising veteran slugger who got the call. Now that DeJong's Yankees career is over with a whopping zero at-bats, his next destination should be clear. Over in Queens, the New York Mets likely immediately licked their chops.

The Mets love signing former Yankees. They'll make big splashes, like Devin Williams and Luke Weaver, but they also love dumpster diving for Yankees castoffs and misfits. Given their situation, DeJong should be front and center on their radar.

With Francisco Lindor already out until some point in June, the Mets just lost his backup, Ronny Mauricio, for 6-8 weeks with a fractured thumb, leaving a serious void at shortstop.

Of course, Little Brother is paying $42 million this year to a career-shortstop who isn't hurt, but Bo Bichette's glove has been so pitiful that they won't consider moving him back from third to short. They also need an offensive boost, in large part because Bichette's bat has sunk to the same depths as his glove, and there's a strange reason why DeJong would be a perfect fit.

Sometimes, though, things don't always work out so neatly. On Tuesday morning, the Detroit Tigers signed him instead, making him the next Austin Slater instead of the next Devin Williams (wait ... Slater's also on the Mets now!).

Yankees castoff Paul DeJong might be a perfect fit for the Mets, just so that he can no longer torment them

The most notable thing about DeJong's Yankees tenure is that he was the first external signing the Yankees made during the 2025-2026 offseason, inking his minor league deal on Jan. 4. Coming off a 2025 campaign when he hit .228/.269/.373 over 57 games with the Washington Nationals, DeJong wasn't an exciting addition. Now, he's coming off a 23-game stint in Scranton, where he slashed .203/.361/.516 with six dingers.

That's not why seemed like the ultimate draw for the Mets. Instead, they might have ben, at least partially, motivated to sign him in order to keep him out of a rival's hands. Over his career, DeJong has dominated the Mets, with a career .294/.319/.625 line against them.

Oddly, though, playing half his games in Citi Field might not be what the 2019 All-Star needs to jumpstart his stalled career. He's shown power there, but his .250/.279/.594 line in Queens comes with a 38.2% strikeout rate, leaving a lot of on-base skill to be desired. Instead, DeJong has been even better against the Mets on the road.

The slumping Mets are in such a bad way that they need any advantage they can get. If that means scratching their dire need at shortstop with a player whose greatest value might be killing their own pitching, that might be what they have to do. The fact that he was briefly a Yankee seemed like the cherry on top for the floundering "Amazins."

At least, for their sake, he remains in the American League.

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